My Soulmate, My Enemy
by TaniWenic
Summary: The silence is no longer comforting. "We need to break up." "I know."
1. My Soulmate

Alexander Hamilton finds himself mesmerized by the soulmark and the name of his enemy. He's always found himself amazed by it. On days where he was sick and starving, where he wasn't sure if he'd survive, he would trace the letters, allowing his finger to lightly run over the slight bumps. He admires the loops and how the name is written in cursive. The name 'Thomas Jefferson' is elegantly written. Attached to the end of the n is an image of a quill. One that seems to be a solid white colour, with a simple outline and the rest being negative space. There is some gorgeous shading done, and he feels as though he could reach and grab the quill. Attached to the quill is a metal piece with gorgeous carvings. The tip of the quill is covered with ink, and written on his upper arm is the words, "Who are you?" written in cursive. The quill seemed to be in the process of placing the dot for the question mark.

As a child, he thought them to be random lines and nothing else, but now, he thought as he stares at them, he found himself realizing what it is; a scene depicting waves and mountains and trees. It's a small one, but it's intricate. More than once he's lost his train of thought when staring at the marks. Many people would smile seeing them and comment on how his soulmate must be something special, as most people only have the name of their soulmate and nothing else.

Then, they would notice the name on his right wrist. Beautiful, elegant cursive engraved into his skin. The last letter, the n, was written messily. Underneath of it is an ink bottle that that seems to be tipped over. A pool of what looks like ink is on his upper arm. Seven more words sit there. Whatever goes into the ink is negative space. 'I hope I never see you again' is written in cursive. On the bottle, the same scene depicted on the quill sits there. It surrounds the word 'ink' which is written in cursive.

'Thomas Jefferson.' His worst enemy and his soulmate, his lover and the man he is supposed to hate. A relationship doomed to fail.

It hurt to know that his soulmate is someone who will hate him, someone he will hate. It hurt more than when the hurricane hit. Hurt more than when his mother died, more than when his father left. More than when his cousin committed suicide. It hurt even more than when he was separated from his brother, James. He's suffered so much, but the pain that hurt the most was the one he has yet to experience, one that he is expecting but hasn't yet felt.

And yet, he still held hope. Thomas Jefferson is also his soulmate, and nothing could deter Alexander from trying to make it work between the two of them. Come hell or high waters, he would try his best. If he saw the situation had no hope, he'd give up.

He moved to America at a young age, after his mother died to live with his cousin. Part way through the first year, his cousin committed suicide in the room next to Alexander's. He was the one who discovered the body of his cousin, hanging from the ceiling. Limp. It horrified him. James had heard him yell and came running in. James comforted Alex the best he could before calling the police.

After, they were placed into the foster care system. James was adopted very quickly, but not Alex. They exchanged emails and promised to talk when they could. Alex was moved from home to home. One the foster parent died and the other was unable to keep Alexander with him. One, his foster father went into debt and they were, financially, unable to keep Alex. He was abused and neglected in two homes, his second one and his last one.

And thus, here he is, sitting in the front seat of his social worker's, Marie's, car. "Alexander, I know there were issues but I'm positive that you'll be staying here. Martha and George are rather nice. They have a son who's your age. I'm sure that you'll be fine." She says, trying to encourage the fifteen-year old. He just sighs softly, finger on his left wrist as he carefully traces the name.

"What if he isn't here? What if I just moved further away from him? What if I never meet him?" He tries concern clear in his voice. He finds himself rather close to Marie, seeing as she has helped him out of and through many situations. He trusts her.

"You'll meet him one day, Alexander. He's your soulmate, it may not be this year or even next year, but one day you'll meet him. I promise you." Marie says softly, turning a corner.

Alexander doesn't respond this time, staring at the house. So his foster parents were rich then? He could tell that the neighbourhood was rather nice, and the houses are large. They would have cost a fair bit of money. A few moments later, Marie parks in front of a large, blue house with a white picket fence. The garden many rather nice flowers, he thinks as he steps out of the car.

Marie smiles gently as she grabs his suitcase for him, handing it over. She starts to walk to the door, Alexander following close behind her. She stops in front of the door and knocks.

It only took a minute for the door to be opened, but to Alexander, time had frozen. A million thoughts ran through his head, a million worries. He felt his heart slam into his chest, and he found that his breathing had stopped. Fear grips him, and his mind goes into overdrive, thinking of every possible scenario that could end with him moving homes. His grip tightens on the bag, his knuckles turning white.

In front of the door stands a nicely dressed woman. She's a bit shorter. Her dark brown hair is pulled back and put into a rather neat bun. Her brown eyes held a soft look, and Alex can't help but relax when he looks into them. Whoever she is, he felt as though he could trust her, that she wouldn't harm him.

"Hello Martha." Marie says a smile on her face.

"Hello Marie, it's great to see you," those soothing eyes turn on Alexander now. "And you must be Alexander," she holds her hand out, "it's a nice to meet you."

A bit timidly, Alexander shakes her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Martha." He says. Martha steps aside now, allowing Marie and Alexander to come in after her.

The first thing Alexander finds himself doing is looking around quickly, taking in his surroundings and any possible exits. He takes it all in; the front door, the windows, anything within his view. As nice as Martha seem, he's learned that appearances can be deceiving.

"If you wouldn't mind, can you take your shoes off for me? We don't wear them in the house." She says politely, and the two oblige.

Alex sits them aside and follows her to the living room. On the couch is a boy that seems his age. His eyes are brown, much like Martha's. His hair is held back by a ponytail. He's wearing a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. Next to the boy a man stands up and walks over. Compared to the five feet one inch Alexander Hamilton, the other is massive, standing at about six feet. He is rather large, and could definitely do damage if he wanted to.

Alexander, partially involuntarily, takes a step back, his worries and concerns back. No one bothered commenting on it. Unlike Martha, he didn't hold his hand out for Alex. "Hello Alexander, I'm George."

Fear grips him for but a moment as the man stands in front of him. George seems nice, but he still feels a bit terrified when he realizes how hard it would be to fight against the other, how hard it would be to push him off and away.

"It's nice to meet you," he says, his voice a bit small.

The other boy saunters over with a smile. He's rather tall compared to Alex, standing at five feet eight inches. He grins. "Hello," Alex was slightly surprised to hear the rather strong French accent that the other has, "I'm Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette. You can just call me Lafayette or Laf. It's not as long, and I prefer it." He says, smiling. "Maman et papa calls me Gilbert." He says, holding his left hand out. Displayed on his wrist is the name Hercules Mulligan. It's written a bit messily, but there it is. Nothing is attached to the letters, unlike Alexander's.

While this boy worried Alexander, he takes comfort in how he seemed fairly scrawny, and Alexander tries to tell himself that there would be some sort of fighting chance if the other attempted to hurt him. He would be able to do something, anything against him.

He holds his own left hand out and shakes Lafayette's hand, smiling slightly. "I'm Alexander Hamilton. You can call me Alex." He says, feeling at ease.

Lafayette nods and let go of Alex's hand, lowering his own. "Il est très petit." Lafayette mutters, and Alex huffs softly.

"Je ne suis pas petit, tu es grande." He snaps back, and the other seems stunned into silence. His eyes light up and he grins.

"Vous parlez Français?" He exclaims excitedly, grinning.

"Oui, j'ai parlez Français." Alex says, and George sighs softly.

"Martha, if we don't learn French soon these two will be able to hide things from us more easily." George mutters, and Martha can't help but laugh softly.

Marie watches the three before speaking, "Alex has my number. I'm sorry to rush out, but I'm a bit behind. I'll be back on Saturday to check on him." She focuses on Alex now. "Be good, I'll see you Saturday." She says softly, and Alex nods a bit nervously.

"See you on Saturday." Just like that, Marie was gone for now.

"Gilbert, can you show Alex around and take him to his room?" She asks, and Lafayette nods eagerly and happily.

"Oui maman," Lafayette chirps out as he grabs Alex's bag and starts to walk away. Alex quickly follows and listens to Lafayette excitedly chatter about how he was excited to have another person who speaks French in the house, and how he knew Alex would get along with a man named John or something. Alex starts to memorize where everything is, quiet.

"Oh, and this is your room." Lafayette says with a smile, opening the door. Inside is a queen sized bed with blue seats. A large window with a window seat is there as well, and a desk with a light is in the corner of the room. On top of it, there's paper and a small container containing pens, mechanical pencils and highlighters. Three erasers sit next to the container.

"Je sais, je sais. It's empty and boring, but maman and papa didn't know what you'd like so we'll decorate it later."

Alex opens the closet and looks at the empty hangers and dresser inside. He opens his suitcase and starts to unpack the few things he would want out, knowing he may not be staying for too long. "It's perfect." He says simply. He places an old laptop on the desk and plugs it in, setting his mouse down next to it.

Lafayette blinks in slight surprise. "It is?" He asks, watching Alexander unpack.

"I don't need much, as long as I have a space to do homework and write, I'm fine." He promises, looking at Lafayette. "While books would be nice, I know there's a library so I'll just borrow from there." He goes back to the desk and opens a drawer, placing some books inside of it.

Lafayette is a bit surprised but nods, watching as Alexander places his now empty suitcase inside of the closet. Then, he sits on the bed and looks at Lafayette. "Can we, uhm, talk...?"

Lafayette goes over to him and takes a seat, and smiles. "What about?"

"Are you adopted?" The question was rather blunt, but Lafayette was expecting it. He nods.

"Oui, I am. I was born in France, my parents died and I didn't have any family who would take me in. George and Martha had adopted me."

"Are they... are they nice?" Alex asks hesitantly. Lafayette can't help but smile hearing this question.

"They are. They aren't too strict, and while they have high standards, they don't push too hard. They want us to do our best. If you have a problem, they try to listen to you and try to help you." Lafayette says honestly.

Alex nods and glances down at Lafayette's wrist, hesitant to ask his next question.

"I'm not going to be mad if you ask. Where I grew up, it was rather normal for people to share it. I just ask that you show me yours." Lafayette says softly, watching him.

"... Have you found your soulmate?"

Lafayette can't help but smile. He nods. "Oui, he's lived here his whole life and we go to the same school. We were in the same class. When I heard them call his name during attendance, I was ecstatic." He can't help but chuckle. "My name covers his fore arm because it's so long. I remember him trying to say my full name when I approached him." He smiles fondly at the memory. "Have you met yours?"

Alex shakes his head no, moving to the next question. "Have you met your enemy?"

Lafayette huffs softly and glances down at his right wrist, the name covered by an elastic band. "Oui, sadly. It's a boy named Charles Lee; he's also in my school. It was around the same time I met Hercules. He keeps calling me Marie." He grumbles. "Have you met your enemy?"

"Not yet." He hesitates. "Can I see your mark?" He asks nervously, and Lafayette nods.

"You have to show me yours." Lafayette says, watching Alex. Alex nods simply, and Lafayette removes the band around his wrist. Surely enough, there's the name Charles Lee; written neatly, centered nicely. Hercules Mulligan is on his left, written messily.

Alex goes to the closet. "I just need to change shirts, and then I'll show you." He promises, pulling a t-shirt out and going into the closet. He shuts it and removes the long sleeved shirt, allowing it to drop. He puts the other one on and hesitates as he rolls his sleeves up. "You can't tell anyone outside of this house, okay?"

"Understood, mon frère." Alex smiles slightly and steps out. A small gasp escapes Lafayette as he goes over, staring at his right arm. "Alexander, c'est beau..." Lafayette carefully grabs his arm, studying the mark carefully. His eyes land on the scene depicted on the handle of the quill pen. He examines the three words, the pen, and finally his eyes land on the name. They widen and a small swear escapes him. "Je connais Thomas Jefferson," he breathes, looking at Alex briefly before looking at his right arm.

"You do?" Alexander asks, eyes widening when he is told this little fact. His soulmate, his enemy, he would be meeting him sooner than expected if Lafayette is telling the truth.

The other boy nods, his eyes meeting Alexander's once more. "I do, he's in my classes and he's a rather good friend of mine."

With this fact brought to light, Alex was a bit nervous as he watches Lafayette's gaze move to his right arm, where the name of one of Lafayette's close friends sits. The other grabs his arm and examines the spilled ink, the words, and the bottle. Then, his eyes land on the name. Thomas Jefferson. Suddenly, Lafayette's face changes, and he lets go of Alex's wrist. "You... he's..."

"I know." Alex says simply, looking down before taking a deep breath. "He's a close friend of yours?"

"Ah- oui..." He says hesitantly, staring at the name. "I... I'm so sorry Alexander."

"Don't be. Can you tell me about him?" Alexander asks, watching as Lafayette begins to think.

"He's interesting," Lafayette says slowly. "He loves to read, and he has more books than he could possibly count. He has a macaroni and cheese addiction, along with an addiction to ice cream." Alexander watches as the French boy chuckles. "He's a hopeless romantic, talking about l'amour and how he is going to take his soulmate, you, on a perfect date. 'One that will have them positively swooning,' is how he put it."

The two spoke until they heard Martha calling them down for dinner. Lafayette stands up and goes to the door, glancing back when Alexander doesn't follow him. "Mon petit lion, c'est le diner, allons-y," Lafayette practically chirps, not leaving the doorway until he sees Alexander following him.

The two sit down next to each other, with Martha and George sitting across from them. On the table sits chicken, rice and salad. Both his and Lafayette's plates already have some food on them. Martha's brown eyes catch the marks on Alex's arm first.

"You have tattoos?" She asks, and Alex shakes his head no. She seems confused for a moment, but her eyes widen when she realizes. "Oh Alex- your soulmate must be someone special." George nods in agreement and glances at Alex's right arm.

"Your enemy must be someone horrible." He says, and Alex looks down.

"They are the same person." Lafayette says for him. "It's Thomas Jefferson."

Silence fills the room for but a moment. Martha smiles gently. "When you meet him, I'll help you." She offers.

"What if it... it doesn't work out?"

"While this is rare, Alexander, I promise you that it can work. There are people out there in the same situation as you are, and they made it work. I have no doubt that you'll be able to make it work as well." George says encouragingly. "It may take a while, but you'll be fine."

"Besides, Thomas is a hopeless romantic. You may not get along with him right away but I've heard him speak of l'amour so many times. He has said so many rather encouraging things." Lafayette says, and Alex pauses.

"... Did he ever tell you about the names on his wrist?"

"Non, non, he didn't. He said he would do it after he found out," Lafayette smirks slightly, "and I found out before him."

Alex nods now. "You won't tell him...?"

"I'll stay quiet till you two meet." Lafayette promises, and George chuckles.

"Meaning you'll avoid him for as long as you can so you don't say anything." Lafayette nods, and the now family begins to eat.

Alexander looks at them, then his plate. The food has such a nice and tempting smell despite it being so simple.

"Are you going to eat?" George asks, and Alex's head snaps up. He nods nervously, although it feels so wrong to him.

He has done nothing to earn the food. He hasn't helped with any chores, nor has he done anything remotely useful. Hesitantly, he starts to cut the chicken breast and takes a bite, quiet as he begins to eat.

At the end of the meal, Alex had eaten a little less than half of the food on his plate. In an attempt to relieve some of the guilt he felt for eating, he helps Martha and George clean up while Lafayette stood there, begging for the two to allow someone named John and his soulmate, Hercules to come over. After promising to clean the washroom, living room and kitchen tomorrow, he was able to convince the two to allow John and Hercules over for a sleep over.

"You must include Alexander. It will be nice for him to have some friends at the school," Martha says as she watches the boy. He grins.

"Je sais maman. That was the plan." He says, going to get ready.

Alex finishes doing the dishes and is quickly released after with Martha and George allowing him to go to his room. Alex goes in and smiles slightly. Unlike outside, he finds his room is rather cool. He shivers softly and goes to his closet, grabbing a light sweater. Next, he pulls the pillows and blankets off of his bed and carefully puts them on the window seat. The boy sits down with his laptop and turns it on, opening safari and logging in to an online program that would be able to store all of his writing.

Alexander Hamilton allows himself to get lost in the words he writes to his soulmate.


	2. My Enemy

Those infuriating loops stare back at Thomas, as they have done from the moment he was able to read and understood what lay ahead of him. Centered on his wrist is the name Alexander Hamilton, and while it isn't written in cursive, is written very neatly. Attached to the letter n is a braided string that moves down his arm, attached to a bookmark. The book mark has a beautiful scene of waves and trees, however, and it was nothing like his bookmark. This part of his mark alone covers his forearm.

His upper arm is taken up by an open book. A story is written, but all of the dialogue is blurred out. What he can read is written neatly and seems to describe how he meets Alexander Hamilton. The words are small, but it still looks nice.

_Two halves of one hole, one nervous and the other paranoid, walk through a hallway towards the other. The paranoid one glances around the hallways, gripping the top of his cane. His brown eyes shift from side to side, suspicious of anyone that he is unable to recognize. _A blurred mess sits between two quotation marks. _The taller boy shrugs and yelps in slight surprise as he bumps into something much smaller than himself._

_ The nervous one walks next to his friend, clutching a book to his chest. He looks around, talking to the other. _Another blurred mess.

_ His friend chuckles, _some more dialogue.

Some more dialogue. _He continues to walk, a bit more confident this time._

A little more dialogue. _But it was too late, and the nervous one runs into the other half of his soul._

_ The taller of the two stares down in surprise, taking in the other's appearance before speaking, _dialogue.

Dialogue.

_The friend of the smaller one smiles and goes over to him. _More blurred dialogue. _Suddenly, the boy's eyes widen and he holds his left hand out for the other._

A little bit of dialogue, and that was it.

His right arm wasn't much different. There same name is on his right wrist, Alexander Hamilton. Like the one on his left arm, the n is attached to the same book mark. This time, the bookmark is in the now shut book. The story being told sits on the back of the book, and it seems to be written in his soulmate's handwriting.

_Tears drip down his face as he stares at the other, watching as he collects his bags. _Dialogue.

_He stops, for a moment, glancing backwards at the other. _He speaks.

_ Then, he walks away and his enemy cries out, tears still in his eyes, __t_he last line on the back of the book.

It wasn't encouraging, to say the least. In fact, it seems as though his relationship with his soulmate is doomed to fail before it even begins. And yet, he holds out hope. A book's summary was supposed to catch a reader's attention and describe the problem. This could be in the middle of his story with Alexander; it didn't necessarily mean the end of their relationship. At least, he hopes not.

He shoves a spoonful of mac and cheese into his mouth and swallows it, savouring the flavour that fills his mouth. _If I'll have any reason hate my soulmate, _he muses, _it's going to be because he hates macaroni and cheese. _His parents kept boxes of it in the cupboard, and Thomas found himself making a box for himself rather often. If his parents happened to be out of the house, he'd have a pot of water boiling so he can cook it.

He silently places the new empty bowl in the sink and sits on the couch, grabbing his book and getting comfortable on the couch, pulling a blanket over himself. _I won't hate my soulmate, _he tries to tell himself, _maybe it's just the one argument or something._

No matter what he told himself and how many times he did it, he still has his doubts. It seems like one of them is moving out, and if that's the case, there must have been a large argument. They may have been arguing for a while.

He looks at the black and white marks, focusing on the colours and the shading, on how this looks like a tattoo. He focuses on the one on his left arm, staring at the page numbers. Page number one and two stare back at him, taunting him with his future. Taunting him about how school was starting soon, and he would go into grade ten paranoid. Paranoid about the identity his enemy is, and what lay ahead for them.

He pauses when his phone begins to vibrate in the pocket of his jacket. He pulls it out and smiles a bit seeing the name, answering it. "Bonjour Lafayette."

"Bonjour Thomas!" The other practically chirps out, and Thomas can practically see his look alike grinning at him.

"What's the good news?"

"I don't have any, I just wanted to say hello." Lafayette replies and while Thomas doesn't push it, he is rather curious. He smiles softly as he talks to the other teen.

Lafayette has been his friend since they met in France. The other was on a trip with George, and Thomas had been doing an exchange program. Lafayette must have wandered off, or George must have gotten lost, seeing as the other grabbed his arm and said, 'Son, don't wander off like that.' The police had almost been called.

It took Lafayette to come over to defuse the situation and tell George that this southerner is not him. Lafayette had begun to excitedly talk to Thomas when he realized why his adopted father made this mistake.

They spoke a bit more as they walked around, and found out that they would be going to the same school. They exchanged numbers and were friends ever since then.

Thomas would describe the other as bubbly and rather social, willing to talk to whomever unless you've given him a reason to hate you. While it could be overwhelming, it was still nice to have someone to talk to and sometimes listening to Lafayette talk about anything and everything was nice, at times.

"So Thomas, how has your summer been?"

"Uneventful, really," he says honestly. "My grandparents wouldn't drop the topic of soulmates when I was in the room. It always went back to 'Oh Thomas, have you met yours yet?' No grandma. 'I hope you meet them soon, before I die hopefully.' I can't control it and I don't think she understands that."

"Let me guess, she suggested that you ask online?"

"I told her I didn't want to, she tried to take a picture of my mark," Thomas sighs. If it weren't for the amount of detail and how personal the mark was for him, Thomas may have considered it.

"Why not? It's just the name, isn't it?" Lafayette asks, as if he knew something. He has that voice, the one he uses when he knows something that he doesn't know. The one that guaranteed something was about to happen either to Thomas or in Thomas' life.

"Of course- why do you want to know?" Thomas asks suspiciously.

"No reason, are you excited for school?" Lafayette asks, changing the topic.

"Not really," Thomas says, allowing the other to change the topic. "I have all the teachers that I wanted to avoid- my semester is going to be hell."

"Unlucky for you, I actually like those teachers- hold on a moment Thomas. Oui maman, I'll be down in a moment, I'm just going to say goodbye to Thomas."

"I take it you have to go?"

"Oui, I'll talk to you later mon ami. Au revoir."

"Goodbye." Thomas says, pressing the red button and setting his phone down, thoughts running through his head.

Lafayette knew something, he was sure of it. It was an odd comment to make about his mark. Even if there really wasn't anything more to it, not many people were willing to share their marks. He is one of them. Even if the day is hot as all hell, he's wearing some sort of long sleeve, and always something dark to hide the black on the marks making up the book and bookmark. There was no way Lafayette has seen his mark.

The only way the other would have known is if he met soulmate and decided not to say anything. Thomas chuckles under his breath. There was no way he would have met Alexander and stayed quiet about it, he couldn't even keep quiet about the identity of his enemy is for one minute. As soon as he found out, he had stood up and stared the man down before yelling some less than appropriate things in French about how he hated the other already. That was followed by a huge argument that ended with the two of them in the office.

Besides, if that was the case, the other would pity him and would be apologizing for being flirtatious and lovey around him with Hercules when his soulmate is also is enemy.

Right?


	3. His Friends

_My Dearest,_

_ The days used to pass so quickly, and I found myself falling into a routine. Wake up, go to school, do my homework, get home and write a letter to you if I'm able to. During holidays and summer, I write. I do research and work as hard as I can, trying to stay sharp._

_ Suddenly, I have fallen out of that routine. I have moved to another foster home, and my foster brother claims to know you. A single fact has thrown me from my routine. I ate, and I have attempted to write a letter. I find myself at a loss of words, thinking of you and everything that may happen. One fact has disrupted my thoughts._

_As I write, I can't help but feel excited, knowing that soon I will be united with the other half of my soul. However, the days pass slowly, time ticking lazily. I am eager, I will admit, and I wish to meet you soon. But time will not allow it, as it has seemingly slowed down to mock me._

_The sound of the clock ticking continuously brings me to reality, distracting me from the words I am attempting to write. Tick, it goes, and I am suddenly pulled from my writing, focusing on the clock and how long I have before I will be able to finally meet you. My heart leaps and aches, and I wish to meet you sooner._

_Tick and a million and one worries come to mind. Are you like Lafayette told me you are? Will you accept me as not only your enemy but your soulmate, the man that wishes to spend the rest of his life by your side? The man who will one day be your anchor? The man who will be your confidant and your friend? Or will you reject it all in favour of focusing on the fact that we are enemies? That we are supposed to despise each other?_

_One last tick and I'll find myself staring at your name and the quill on my arm, at your handwriting and back at your name. A name that sounds so foreign on my lips, even though I have whispered it to myself a million times over. A name that has brought me hope in my darkest times, and a name that made me smile, however bitter that smile may have been._

_And I sigh, smiling as I stare at the words on my computer screen, words you do not know I have written, words that you will one day read, when I feel as though you are ready to read my thoughts and concerns that must seem so silly to you. I can only imagine you laughing softly as you look at the amusing thoughts of a high school student desperate to meet their soulmate._

_Ever yours,_

_Alexander Hamilton_

Alexander stares at the words he has written, reading them quietly to himself and correcting whatever he deems imperfect. After the changes, he reads it out loud to himself, staring at the six paragraphs. And he smiles as he reaches the end, a feeling of satisfaction filling him as he finishes it.

"Alexander, c'est très beau," a voice breathes from the doorway, and Alexander's head quickly turns to look at the teen in the doorway. Lafayette seemed taken in by the words, his eyes holding a stunned look in them as he looking at the other teen. "Tu as écrit ça?" He asks.

Alex blushes slightly, a little embarrassed as he nods. "Yeah, I did," he says, embarrassed. "How much did you hear?" He asks.

"I believe sometime after '_the days pass slowly.'_ May I read it?" Lafayette asks, walking over. Alex quickly closes out of the program.

"It's supposed to be private. It's not that I don't want you to read it, but it's supposed to be between myself and my soulmate," he says honestly, looking at the other.

"Don't worry, I understand. I apologize for eavesdropping." His attention is brought to something else on his computer, and the French teen raises an eye brow. "What happened to your keyboard?"

Alex glances at the keyboard, shrugging slightly. "I may have used the keys to the point that the letters faded," he admits, shutting the laptop down and setting it to the side. "Do you need something?"

Lafayette smiles and nods happily, "oui, my soulmate and a friend of mine is here. I wanted to know if you'd like to meet them. Only one of them bites and even then he only bites me." He can't help but smirk slightly.

Alex lightly hits his arm and smiles a bit. "I'd be happy to meet them."

Lafayette smiles as he walks out the door. "You'll get along with them really well, they are rather nice and they won't try to do anything at all. John may try to fight you but that only happens if you insult someone he cares for and they take it hard." He happily speaks, walking down the stairs with Alex, heading towards the living room.

Sitting on the couch is two teenagers. Lafayette saunters over to one and sits in the other's lap. The teen he's sitting on is shorter than Lafayette, but he's obviously strong and has broad shoulders. He's wearing a blue bandana around his head. His hair is a darker colour and is rather curly. He grins at Lafayette and holds him close. So this is Hercules Mulligan.

That means the other one is John. His light brown hair is pulled back into a low pony tail. He has some freckles covering his face. A bright and amazing smile is on his face. He waves and moves over, offering the spot next to him to Alex.

He walks over to him and hesitantly sits down, smiling a bit at the other boy.

"Alex, this is my comfortable seat and soulmate Hercules Mulligan." Lafayette says enthusiastically.

Hercules gives him a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

John clears his throat, and Alex finds his eyes landing on the other boy. "I'm John Laurens." He says.

Alex nods and smiles a bit nervously, holding his left hand out for the other, "Alexander Hamilton." John's eyes seem to light up a bit, and he focuses on the other.

"Alexander? It's a nice name." John says, seemingly waiting for something. Alex raises an eye brow a bit and manages to say thank you. The teen frowns softly now, but quickly covers it with a smile.

"So what did you two want to do? And we are not watching Mulan again." Hercules huffs softly, and Lafayette presses a kiss to his lips. "Je t'aime toi, you know that, but no."

A bit of an awkward silence falls over the four and John looks at them. "How about we play twenty questions? We usually think of something before we hit twenty."

Lafayette nods before beginning to set the rules for the game, "you must answer truthfully. If the question makes you uncomfortable, don't answer or tell the other person to ask a different question."

"We can go over twenty questions, really. Just until we think of something better we can do," Hercules says after.

"I can start!" The third stooge exclaims, smiling. His attention turns to Alex. "What's your favourite colour?"

Alex thinks for a moment, "green," he answers, "It represents life, and I like that." He looks at Hercules now. "Lafayette is taken hostage by a cannibal who is threatening to eat him, to save him you have to cut off your own arm or leg. What do you choose and why?"

"That went from zero to ten in point five seconds," John mutters.

Hercules looks rather surprised, and he begins to think. "I would sacrifice my leg. I love to sew, and I don't want to stop. It's easier to do it with two hands instead of one." His head turns to Lafayette. "Did you or did you not eat my toblerone bar?"

"Oui, j'ai fait. It was too good and you left it here over night. It wasn't going to survive." Lafayette says with a smile, looking at Alex. "Have you considered entering a writing contest?"

"Not yet. Haven't found one I'm interested in yet, really." He says honestly before looking at John. "You're on death row. What's your last meal?"

"McDonalds. I'm about to die, I'm going to ask for the shittiest comfort food that I know of. What is with you and weird questions?" John asks next.

"When I get the chance to ask someone whatever I want, I'm not asking for their favourite colour, I want to know their answer to my weird ass questions. It's the best way to get to know someone." Alex says simply.

The game continued, and Alex learned a fair bit about the others. Hercules is scared of cotton balls, for example.

"They're just- weird! The texture is weird and god I barely even know _why_ people use them!"

"Haven't you made stuffed animals, mon amour?"

"The stuffing is different from those freaky things!"

Another odd fact was that Lafayette's celebrity crush is Chris Hemsworth. He's also terrified of deer for the sheer amount of damage they can do, as well as a personal encounter that freaked him out for the rest of his life. These two facts prompted the following question,

"If Chris Hemsworth walked into the room with the lower half of his body turned into a deer and antlers and deer ears on his head, would you kiss his hoof?"

A very hesitant, "yes," was what followed.

John didn't know what a body check is.

"If you could body check anyone in this room into a pool, who would it be?"

"Body chuck, not body check," he had said it like it was so obvious.

"It's called a body check."

"You think its body check too?"

"That's 'cause it is John."

They had to call Mr. Washington in to tell John that it is, indeed, called a body check, leaving the teen mortified about the fact that he has been calling it body chuck for his entire life.

John turns to Alex and smiles at him, "Alexander, I know this may be a personal question, but what's your soulmate's name?" He asks, and silence fills the room quickly. "You can just tell me the initials if that's any better." He adds quickly.

Alexander is quiet for a moment, thinking to himself for a moment. On one hand, it was rather personal information. On the other hand, John goes to their school and would probably find out soon. So would Hercules, now that he thought about it.

He takes a deep breath and rolls his sleeve down just slightly, holding his arm up to show the name displayed, engraved in his skin. John stares at it for a moment, and he smiles a bit bitterly. He forces it to widen after that.

"You'll meet him soon then." John says with a grin, watching as the other rolls his sleeve back up.

Alex can't help the faint, loving smile that appears on his face as he watches the mark disappear beneath his sleeve. "I know."

Hercules pipes up soon after, "so, who's your enemy then?" He asks, looking at the other. Alexander is silent for a moment before he sighs softly, a bitter smile replacing the soft one that had been on his face moments before the question was asked.

"Thomas Jefferson."

John's eyes widen in shock, "but he's- he can't be your enemy!"

"He's your soulmate." Hercules finishes, looking at Alexander with a rather surprised look on his face as he does so.

Alexander shrugs slightly and looks down at the ground. "He is my enemy and my soulmate," he answers, "I don't totally know what I'm going to do about that, but I want to make it work."

"Et tu le feras." Lafayette says firmly, giving Alexander a smile as he does. "Thomas will want to make it work as well, don't worry," he encourages.

"Besides, if he's your soulmate, you're meant to be. You'll both figure it out." Hercules adds.

John is silent, oddly so. Alex glances at him, "are you okay?"

"Yeah- yeah I'm fine." John says, a bit of a forced smile appearing on his face. Lafayette raises an eyebrow and gives John a look. The other just looks away, seemingly pretending that he never saw the look from Lafayette.

The game continues, and three of the teens eventually fall asleep on the couch. Lafayette and Hercules are snuggled up to each other, holding the other close, as if they would be gone when they woke up if they didn't. The French boy was snoring lightly.

Alex is curled up, holding a pillow close to his chest. Unlike the two soulmates, he isn't smiling. His sleep seems slightly troubled, as though something is disturbing him.

But John doesn't bother waking him up. He smiles bitterly as he stares at the pillow, another thing that he can't help but envy. He wishes that the other would cuddle him or hold him like that. It will never happen, however.

He places a light kiss on Alexander's head and gets comfortable where he is, staring down at his covered wrists. He brings the sleeve on his left wrist down a bit and stares at the name printed on his wrist.

Alexander Hamilton.

**_(A/N): _**_Hey guys, I know this is a really quick update, but please don't get used to it. It's currently summer and I have a lot of motivation. I'm hoping that I can get updates done before a week is up but that is _**_not_**_ a promise. Please don't ask me to update, I will get it done. Don't worry about that._


	4. Our Meeting

"Alexander, mon frère, it's time to get up," a voice calls from the door, and Alexander is slowly brought out of the dream world. "We have school today, and you'll be meeting your soulmate." Lafayette says, and Alex looks at the slightly open door. "Good morning." The boy says.

Lafayette is standing there, his brown eyes staring at Alexander. He's wearing a purple-blue shirt with a nice pair of jeans. His brown hair is tied back in a high ponytail, and he's holding a black backpack in his left hand. Unlike Alexander, the other is wide awake and smiling, ready for the day ahead of them.

"It's the morning, nothing is good about it," Alexander hisses out, bringing the blanket over himself. The other laughs softly and walks over, pulling the cover off of him.

"There will be something good about it, you're going to meet your soulmate," he practically chirps, "and I know for a fact that Thomas will be very happy to meet you."

"Just because one good thing will happen doesn't mean the morning itself is good. The morning is where people go to die." Alex grumbles out, knowing it didn't make too much sense. "The morning is when people realize that bad shit has happened, like when they wake up naked next to someone they hate and realize that they've just cheated on their boyfriend, or when you're too tired to function so you get into a car accident because you had to wake up too early. Morning is when dreams die, and you're brought to the nightmarish reality we are all forced to live in. Hell, morning sounds like mourning, which means the feel or show of sorrow for someone's or something's death. Personally, I'm mourning the death of the dream I was enjoying."

"There's coffee."

"I'm up."

Five minutes later, Alexander is dragging himself down the stairs, heavy bags underneath of his eyes. It's not that he didn't sleep; it's that he got very limited sleep. It wasn't the best excuse, sure, but it is the truth. He just wanted to write to his soulmate, explain his excitement and how much he wanted to meet him. None of his worries or concerns leaked into the words he wrote, the letter filled to the brim with positive words meant for his soulmate's eyes only.

Hesitantly, he grabs a coffee cup and starts to pour a bit into the cup, just under half a cup, drinking a little bit of it hesitantly. He hasn't had the beverage in so long, as his last foster home didn't allow him to have any and told him it would stunt his growth more than it already has. He had sarcastically commented that must be why they drank it excessively, because they towered over him and needed to stop growing. Alexander didn't eat that day.

Speaking of food, his eyes drift to the toast on the counter, and his stomach grumbles painfully. He's been eating three meals a day, more than he did before, and yet here he is, staring at the toast like it will be his last meal. He glances around, looking for someone to give him permission of some sort. No one else is in the kitchen, and Alexander pries his gaze away from the food, deciding to focus on the coffee, on the taste. He quickly finishes the rest of it and washes his cup, putting it away.

He walks into the living room and sits on the couch, waiting for someone to tell him when they are leaving. After a moment of waiting, he pulls one of the few books he owns out of his book and begins to read. It's at about that moment that Lafayette walks down the stairs, his hair out of the ponytail that Alex had begun to associate with the other. Quickly, he pulls it through the elastic as he rushes to the kitchen, coming out with two lunch bags. He hands one to Alex with a smile.

"This one's yours, maman made it for you last night," he says as he slips his own into his bag.

Alexander stares at it for a few moments, a stunned and surprised look on his face. Hesitantly, he slips it into his back pack before following Lafayette to the door.

"Au revoir maman et papa! I'll see you after school!" He exclaims, and Alex finds himself nervously following the other boy out the door.

Anxiety fills him, and he finds himself worrying over his appearance now. How his hair must look so messy, and how his clothing may not seem nice enough. After all, he's only wearing jeans and a t-shirt along with an unzipped hoodie. And oh, those dark bags under his eyes are probably still there too. How could he forget those?

"You know, Thomas' family will be so happy to meet you. After all, you will likely marry into the family. Alexander Jefferson- oh that sounds weird actually. Thomas Hamilton? Non, non, maybe hyphenated last names? That way you'd be keeping your own and taking his."

Something was rather reassuring about Lafayette's happy chattering about the future. It meant that Thomas was open to being in a relationship with him, and the other would be happy to meet him.

The wave of calm disappears as soon as he steps into the building. _Oh hey this is where I'm meeting my soulmate, _is his first thought. Such a small and simple thought very quickly sparks many of his worries and insecurities until the inside of his mind was a wreck.

However, despite this, to say that Alexander Hamilton is nervous for school is an absolute lie. He would ask you to ignore how his hands have begun to shake. He would try to distract you from the fact that he's grapping the strap of his bag a little too tightly. If you look at the book he's gripping as though it's a life line, he would tell you that it is a really good book and that he doesn't want to lose it. Lastly, you would look at Lafayette, the boy he is standing all too close to and he would simply say it's because he's knew and doesn't want to get lost in the building.

He is nervous, he won't deny it, but it certainly isn't for school. Rather, he's nervous to meet his soulmate. His feet begun to feel heavier with every step he takes, his mind begging for him to turn back and go home. Alexander finds himself fighting the urge to listen to his mind, and instead, he continues pressing onward.

"What if he doesn't like me?" Alexander asks, his voice hiding nothing. His grip tightens rather significantly on the hardcover book. His eyes are wide, full of worry as he watches Lafayette.

Lafayette chuckles slightly and gives the other a gentle smile, "I would not worry about that just yet, mon petit lion. Meet him first, and then we'll see if you need to be worried at all. D'accord?"

Alex forces himself to take a deep breath, and he nods nervously. "You know him better than I do, I'll trust your judgement." He says hesitantly, beginning to walk more confidently now.

Saying that Thomas Jefferson had an odd morning would be an understatement. Getting ready for school wasn't an issue, and he made sure to dress at least somewhat neatly in case he would be meeting his soulmate today. He stopped at James' house and began to walk to school with him.

A few minutes after entering the building, however, something add began to happen. His upper left arm began to feel odd, as if something was pressing into his skin and lifting occasionally. Smalls pots on his arm would feel cold for a moment. On multiple occasions, he finds himself glancing at his arm.

Eventually, however, he shakes his head slightly and looks at the students, attempting to find someone who matches the description in the first page of the book. There were many new faces, but that didn't throw him off yet. Many of those newbies seemed nervous, and only a few were holding books. Not many of them were with other people, however, and Thomas can't help but relax when he realizes he may not be meeting his soulmate this year.

If another person knew of his situation and saw how he's acting, they would assume that he doesn't want to meet his soulmate. It's quite the opposite, he would assure them. He would love to meet this Alexander Hamilton, but he can't help but worry. No, that's not the right word. His soulmate and his enemy is the same person. He can't help but fear someone he hasn't met.

The odd sensation stops, and Thomas glances at his arm with a confused look once more.

"Are you okay Thomas? You've been looking at your arm since we came in here," James, his childhood friend asks, a worried look on his face as he does so.

There it is again, the odd feeling in his arm. It seemed to move in time to what James was saying, and the voice in the back of his mind speaks, _today is the day your meet your soulmate, _it says to him, and Thomas feels panic rise for a moment before he shakes it off.

He looks at James again and gives him the most pathetic answer he could possibly give; a small shrug. James hesitates but just accepts it, looking away from Thomas now.

"Alexandre, you're about to-" A familiar voice meets his ears as something rather small bumps into him.

He can't help but yelp slightly and finds himself looking down at the other, his brown eyes narrowing. Standing there is a surprised looking boy who is fairly shorter than himself. The first thing he notices is the intelligent look in his dark brown eyes, despite how tired the other seems. His dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail.

"Who are you?" Thomas asks, staring down at the other with narrowed eyes.

The boy quickly straightens up, his now narrowed eyes holding, a challenging look in them. "Who are you?" He asks, although it sounds more like a demand.

At some point, Thomas is realizing, Lafayette had walked over to them and he had been too busy staring at this boy to notice. "Bonjour Thomas, it's nice to see you again," he says, although he's not looking at Thomas. He's looking at the other boy.

Thomas watches as those gorgeous eyes widen, and the boy holds his left hand out. A grin is on his face as he says, "I'm Alexander Hamilton."

Suddenly, the odd feeling in his arm stops, and Thomas' eyes widen. Without hesitation, he gently takes the other's hand and shakes it. "You already know my name, don't you darlin'?" He drawls out, watching as Alexander nods firmly.

"It's great to finally meet you, Thomas Jefferson," he says, and god Thomas nearly felt his knees buckle when he heard his name on his soulmate's lips. "May I see your wrists?"

Thomas nods, ignoring the ringing bell as he rolls down his magenta sleeve ever so slightly. The other looks over it, his eyes examining every curve, every way the word is written. Then, Thomas rolls his right sleeve down slightly, and Alexander simply nods seeing his name in his writing.

"There is more than just my wrist, but I'll show you later." He rolls his sleeves down a bit and holds both arms out for Thomas.

His eyes take in his own writing, and nothing seemed out of place with the exception of the n on the right wrist, but that was fine. It is obvious to him that this boy is his soulmate and his enemy.

"As happy as I am that I get to finally talk about this and that you two have met, we're already late for class," Lafayette interrupts the moment. Alexander doesn't protest when the other begins to drag him away.

"I'll see you at lunch," Thomas calls out, watches as Alexander gives him a thumbs up.

James is already walking away, heading to class and leaving Thomas alone. Not really caring for the first day of class, he quickly rushes to the men's washroom, locking himself in a stall. He quickly takes his jacket off, hanging it on the hook. Then he moves his sleeve up and stares at the writing on his arm. The dialogue sits there, clear as day and written neatly, and Thomas finds himself rereading the story, reading the words that his soulmate must have said to Lafayette before they met.

A smile forms on his face, his gaze soft as he stares at the name now, the name he now has a face to. He traces the letters with his finger softly before putting his jacket back on. For a moment, at least, he allows his fears to disappear as he heads to class, looking forward to lunch.

_**(A/N): **__This update is quick because I kind of pulled an all-nighter to get it done. If you haven't noticed, I have added to the first chapter a little bit, so if you want to, go check it out._


	5. Not His

There are few things that John has deemed unbearable in this world. One is Lafayette talking about Hercules and their future and how happy they are. He doesn't have an issue with their happiness. Instead, he has an issue with how lovey-dovey they are with each other. It is, simply put, annoying. Second is shopping with Hercules for clothing. Anything else and he may have fun. However, Hercules would take a look at John like he was crazy when he picked something out and basically told him it would make John look like shit, and suddenly John was being dragged around the store with Hercules picking his clothing.

Third is watching Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. They aren't even doing anything _wrong. _The two of them are just talking to each other and getting to know each other. Talking about how happy they are, talking about how worried they had been, and every once in a while have a small argument.

This, watching his soulmate talking to Thomas Jefferson, his enemy, is unbearable. It's made even worse when he remembers the name on Alexander's left wrist. The name engraved in Alexander's skin, printed there, taunting him, mocking him.

The bright smile Alexander is wearing while he listens to Thomas' stories about what he's done in the past makes John's heart soar, if only for a moment. He's brought right back down from that high when he remembers _who's_ making him smile.

John gets up, managing a smile, no matter how fake it is. "I'm going to go, see you guys later." He walks away now, grabbing his bag and leaving the table.

Alexander Hamilton, a name which has brought him comfort and happiness and hope through darker times in his life. The name would bring a smile to his face, and he when he was a child, he would trace the letters with that dopey love sick grin. He would imagine how he would find out, and he would plan their first date and dates to come. He even planned how he would ask the other to marry him.

All of his plans were ruined with the one fact that he had been told. Thomas Jefferson is his soulmate. A boy that has done nothing to deserve the hatred that John Laurens holds for him. John rushes into the washroom and shuts the stall door, taking a deep breath as he removes his sweater, staring at his right wrist now. It made so much sense, and it hurt him to think that.

The name Thomas Jefferson, written in cursive on his right wrist, stares back at him. When he met the other, he didn't understand why they were enemies. The other did nothing to piss him off and was actually rather pleasant. He had strong opinions, but it didn't bother John.

He smiles bitterly as he remembers that meeting.

Lafayette had introduced the two of them. "Laurens, mon ami, I want you to meet my look alike, the one I met in France," he said, grinning at him. Thomas had stepped forward and held his left hand out for John.

"I'm Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette has told me quite a bit about you." He had said, holding his left hand out. John remembers his reaction when he heard that name. His eyes had narrowed and he pushed the other's hand out of the way, holding his right hand out.

This had not only shocked Thomas, but Lafayette as well. "John, what did he do wrong?" Lafayette had asked his voice laced with concern.

"He's my enemy," John explained, staring at Thomas with a dark look. What stuck out to him at the time was the look of shock on Thomas' face when he received this information. His eyes held a look of confusion, and he had been absolutely bewildered.

"I'm sorry, but that isn't possible. You're name isn't on my wrist." Thomas said a frown on his face when he had done so. John just scoffed at those words.

"You're lying," he snapped. He remembers grabbing his sleeve and yanking it down, holding his wrist out to Thomas. "That's your name, isn't it?"

Thomas had taken his wrist in a gentle grip and examined the two words written, the loops and lines, every detail written. He had let go and shook his head, "I will admit, that's my name and writing, but you aren't my enemy, John. I'm sorry," he said. "May we start over, and ignore that until we figure out why I am your enemy?"

John had hesitated, but nodded and reintroduced himself. Thomas had done the same, and since that day they had actually been rather decent to each other. They weren't quite friends due to their slightly more than awkward meeting, but they didn't talk about it often.

The name written there, and the reason as to why it is there, made much more sense. His soulmate isn't actually his; Alexander is Thomas' soulmate and enemy. Anger bubbles in his chest as he thinks about it. Alexander belongs to his enemy. Someone he is beginning to hate more the more he thinks about this.

His eyes land on his left wrist now, and he feels some sort of pain hit his heart. A name that had brought him so much comfort in the past suddenly brought him pain when he saw it. Someone he had always thought would be with him through thick and thin is not with him during one of the toughest things he's ever been through.

A gentle knock on the door brings John out of his mind. "John, what's wrong? You looked unwell earlier," Lafayette says softly.

"It's nothing," John says, pulling his sweater on quickly and opening the stall door and stepping out. "I just wasn't feeling well." Lafayette stares at him for a moment before frowning.

"Did you figure out why Thomas is your enemy?"

John is silent for a moment, looking down at his sneakers before sighing. "Mind if I ask how you found out?"

"I don't mind at all, and it's simple. You've been fine with Thomas for the past year or so, and this is the only time I've caught you staring at him with a murderous look on your face. So, why is he your enemy? Why do you hate him?" John stares at his friend before taking a deep breath.

"You can't tell anyone, and I mean that. You can't tell Hercules, you can't tell your dad, you can't tell Alexander. Promise me, Lafayette."

Lafayette looks at him before nodding, "I promise not to tell as soul unless I have reason to believe you will bring harm to yourself or others." He says, and John nods. That is the standard promise that their little friend group has.

John watches the door as he rolls both of his sleeves down, revealing the names. Lafayette gasps and grabs John's wrist, looking at the name with a shocked look. "Mon ami- this can't be possible." John smiles bitterly.

"And yet it is. My soulmate isn't mine. He is destined to be with my enemy- someone I didn't even fucking hate till now." John laughs bitterly. "It shouldn't be possible, but here we are. Thomas and Alexander are in the cafeteria sitting together, laughing together, smiling and probably planning their first date while I'm left here with the harsh reality that no one has my name printed on their wrist, not even as an enemy. How's that for depressing? I'm literally going to die alone," he chokes out.

Lafayette stares at him for a moment, his eyes holding a sad look before he pulls John close to him, wrapping his arms around the other. John hugs back and takes a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling and attempting not to cry. "Mon ami, I have no clue what you're feeling, and I know I won't, but I promise that I will help you with whatever I can. If you need to call me at three AM, I will try to pick up, alright?" He offers.

John just nods silently, letting go and rolling his sleeves down. "Thank you, Laffy Taffy." He manages to say, going over to the sink and splashing some water on his face.

"I'm going back to the others, alright? I'll see you in class," he says softly, walking to the door and waiting for John to nod and tell him to leave.

"I'll see you later," John manages to say; splashing a bit more water on his face as Lafayette leaves.

He forces himself to take a deep breath, thinking of the name and the handwriting he has memorized by now. Soulmates are supposed to be perfect for each other they are supposed to be together. Maybe, in some twisted way, things would work out between himself and Alexander.

As hopeless as it is, he shuts his eyes and allows himself to cling to the idea that, maybe one day, Alexander will be his, and they will be happy together.


	6. A Date

Alexander sits in the cafeteria, nervously waiting for Thomas to come in and sit with him. Next to him is John. Hercules and Lafayette are also sitting at the table, eating their food and planning their next date night. Both have rather bright smiles.

"Alexander, you should eat," Lafayette says, stopping his conversation with Hercules for a moment to talk to him. Alex looks at him, slightly surprised, but he nods and pulls the bag out of his back pack. He pulls his lunch out and begins to eat it, scarfing the sandwich down eagerly. It is, after all, the first thing he's eaten today.

"Hello Alexander," Alex looks behind himself and smiles rather happily. "May I sit with you all?" Thomas asks, watching the group and waiting for any protests.

"Of course mon ami, come sit with us!" Lafayette exclaims, smiling brightly as he does so.

Thomas simply smiles slightly and sits next to Alexander, making sure that he's mostly facing the smaller boy. "How's your day been so far?" He asks, seeming genuinely curious.

"It's been fine so far, although English sounds boring and way too easy. I mean, we're doing a novel study on _How to Kill Mockingbird. _It's a good book, sure, but I've read it a million and one times. I can tell you every issue that comes out. I've taken so many in depth looks at the book that I honest to god can do any assignment before even reading it in class." Alexander huffs out. "And in Social Studies we're doing a study on _globalization_ of all things! And I'm ready for the depressing as all fuck, 'oh that cheap shirt that you're wearing was made from people who are basically slaves in other countries.' Like I don't know that! But it's not like I can afford something more expensive," he says hotly, glaring at the sweater he's wearing from Old Navy. "Science and Math I'll at least be _challenged_ because I've never really been too good at either of them, and I have neither of those this time around."

Thomas chuckles softly at this and looks at him. "I'm glad to hear that you're having fun." He says as he opens a container filled to the brim with quite nice smelling macaroni and cheese. "And I'm sure it won't be that bad. After all, you'll be able to hear other people's opinion on it; maybe someone will bring up something of value."

"But everyone in the class sounds like idiots," he grumbles. "They were all talking about sports and shit."

"Still, maybe someone will be able to bring something up," Thomas says, watching him with a smile. "Anyways, can you tell me about yourself? After all, all I know about you right now is that you're best classes are English and Social studies and you like being challenged. Also you like reading, but that's about it."

Alexander smiles a bit at this and allows himself to just start talking, not even worried that he isn't stopping. After all, the other doesn't seem to mind on bit. In fact, Thomas seems to be hanging onto every word that he says.

"That isn't too stupid; it was just a dumb little mistake. When James and I were younger, he dared me to jump off the swing at the highest height I could. I obviously said no, and logically he called me a chicken."

"So you didn't do it?"

"Oh I did it, and I broke my leg doing it. It is one of the dumbest things I have done to date, and it's a mistake that I will never repeat," the southerner explains, and Alexander can't help but laugh a bit and smiling rather brightly.

John suddenly stands up and begins to pack his things away, smiling at the group. "I'm going to go, see you guys later," he says as he picks up his bag, walking away from the group. Alexander frowns softly, worried for the other.

"Hercules, mon chou, watch my things. I'm going to go check on John." Lafayette says softly, kissing Hercules' cheek gently before going after the other boy, leaving Thomas, Hercules and Alexander.

Thomas looks at Alexander and smiles. "What's the chance of you being able to join me for a movie tonight?" He asks, and Alexander chuckles.

"Pretty high, I don't have a phone to ask the Washingtons but Laf can do that for me," he answers.

"On it," Hercules says, pulling his phone out and texting the two of them. Alexander blinks a slightly surprised look on his face as he looks at the other.

"What? I plan to marry Lafayette one day, George and Martha gave me their numbers." Hercules says, setting the device down when he sends the text.

"What movie are you thinking?" Alexander questions with a smile.

"Honestly, I don't know. I just suggested a movie because it's the first thing that came to mind. If you want, we can just wander around the mall and look at clothing and whatever else is there."

"I'm on board; after all, a movie isn't exactly the best date. You have to be quiet and you can't talk to the person you bring with you."

"Martha says its fine, but you have to come home first so that she can talk to you." Hercules said, and Thomas nods.

"Get Lafayette to tell me what time I should come by, my dad can drop us off."

Alexander smiles and nods at that. He finds himself extremely eager for the day to end, wanting to go on his date with Thomas.

It passed shockingly quickly, and Alexander soon finds himself walking home and excitedly chattering. "And oh my God Laf his eyes sparkle like two stars in the darkest of nights. He has the complexion of a fucking god, and his dialect puts me on cloud nine. Do you know how many times I had to ask him to repeat himself? I think I did it just to hear him talk. Holy shit," Alexander rambles, his eyes bright. "And his laugh- I would fall down a flight of stairs if I could make him laugh like that."

Lafayette chuckles softly at that and continues his walk. "You're talking more than I do petit lion." He hums out, and Alexander just huffs.

"I just met my soulmate, let me be happy and talk about how perfect he is," Alex says, smiling. "How could I forget that he made me _like_ the morning? You had pulled me into a nightmarish hell-scape, but as soon as I got to school I found myself face to face with a fucking angel, one who was sent to remind me that there are good things in this world. I actually smiled when it was seven fifty-five in the morning. Do you know how hard it is for me to do that?" Alexander exclaims, his eyes bright.

The two walk through the door, and Lafayette, and extrovert who thrives on social interaction, finds himself mentally drained after that long talk about Thomas. "Martha, take Alexander from me, he's talking non-stop! It's too much for me to handle." He says dramatically. Martha laughs softly from the living room.

Alexander takes his shoes off with a smile and places them in the closet, going to the living room after with his bag and sitting next to Martha.

"How was school?" After those three words escaped her mouth, Alexander allowed himself to happily talk about everything that happened, from his meeting with Thomas to his excitement for the date that Thomas had suggested they go on. Martha just listens, smiling fondly and asking questions about Thomas every once in a while during the conversation.

"Now, about that date," Martha says, "You don't have a phone, so I'm going to let you borrow mine. Please don't go through anything, it is just for communication. We're also giving you some cash. If you see something you like, go ahead and buy it. I'd prefer it if you buy clothes but it's up to you. There's also some money for you for dinner if you are gone that long." Martha says with a smile. "He can pick you up whenever he wants to."

Alex smiles and goes to Lafayette, politely asking for the other to send the text before going to his room with a bright smile. He starts to get ready for the date, eager and slightly over excited. Realizing he has time to spare, he finds himself sitting at his window seat and writing, allowing himself to get lost in the words once more.

_My Dearest,_

_ Time stopped when I met you, and for once I welcomed the slowed down ticking of the clock, how a second felt like an eternity, as it allowed for me to take in your appearance. Your lovely brown eyes reminded me of devil's food cake; tempting me to do something sinful that would break the rules. Those lovely brown eyes that sparkle like thee sky during a power outage stared into my soul. For the first time in forever, I felt as though I could spill my secrets and everything that has happened to me without being prompted. They lure me into a sense of security, whether you mean to do so or not._

_ And oh, how those eyes keep me guessing; the colour dark to keep me from knowing your secrets. Secrets I so desperately wish to hear from your lips. I find myself growing curious the more I think of you and things that may have happened in your life. I find myself wanting to sit down and listen to your voice._

_ Your dialect drags me in, and I find it oh so alluring despite having heard a southern dialect so many times before this. I find myself trapped by your voice, absolutely captivated and hanging on every word that passes your lips. The words you speak, as boring as they are, sound so new to me whenever you decide to bless me with your voice._

_ I find myself continuously hypnotized whenever my gaze drifts over to you, and I go ten times deeper each time. Words refuse to come out of my mouth when I look at you, and I am shocked by the fact that you are able to render me speechless by doing nothing. My mind goes blank when I see you, even if I had been in the middle of writing. And then you look at me, those eyes giving me a questioning look, and my face heats up slightly. I stare at you, unable to pry my gaze away from you. Today alone I have given you a million reasons as to why I was staring, and I'm sure you've decided to stop listening to my excuses._

_ As ashamed as I am to admit it, you've made me melt as soon as you called me 'darling.' That single word had left me speechless, unable to do much more than nod when you spoke. I can't place why, but it felt so right for you to call me that, and my mind keeps going back to the word, imagining you saying it to me once more. Again, and again, on loop, constantly repeating in my mind._

_ You have done the impossible in my eyes, my dear Thomas. The colour magenta is absolutely hideous, and I have always hated it. And yet, you have made the colour look absolutely wonderful. It compliments you wonderfully, and I can't even place the reason._

_ If your gorgeous appearance hadn't distracted me, these surely would have been my first thoughts on you. But instead, I had thought of something extremely cliché; "My soulmate is a god." I was unable to think of anything intelligent. The effect you have on me is shocking to me, and I cannot wait to see how I affect you._

_ Ever Yours,_

_ Alexander Hamilton_

He stares at the words written and huffs softly. This isn't the best thing he's ever written, but the mere thought of Thomas made the words stop flowing. He was unable to think, distracted by the image of his soulmate smiling.

His mind must hate him, for it wanders consistently to the memory of the other asking him out on a small date to the mall. And he smiles, a soft smile, a loving smile, one that can tell you a million things without anyone saying anything about why he's smiling.

"Alexander, Thomas is here!" Martha says, and Alex grins, grabbing his jacket and rushing down the stairs, yelping when he literally falls to Thomas' feet. Thomas laughs softly and offers a hand to the other.

"Are you alright?" He asks, clearly concerned for the other.

"Yeah- I'm fine," he says, smiling sheepishly.

"Are you ready to go?" Thomas asks, watching as Alex gives a firm nod.

The two walk to the car and get in the back, sitting next to each other.

While Alexander is fairly calm and actually rather excited, Thomas is beyond nervous. His dad agreed to drive them after Thomas explained that he finally met his soulmate, but a few things happened after that particular conversation. Thomas had been essentially threatened. If his grades dropped because he was spending all of his time with his soulmate, then he would be grounded until he managed to get them back up. He was also told that his parents expected him to sort out any argument that the two of them had.

Not only that, but Thomas doesn't know how his relationship with Alexander will be. They are enemies, and not even the fact that his name is on his left wrist will change that. Something is bound to happen. They are bound to break up at some point, as hard as that is for Thomas to think of. He doesn't know just how bad it will be either; he just has a general idea, which is almost worse because he will be unable to prepare for the inevitable. He doesn't know how he will handle it either.

He steps out of the car when they arrive, listening to his dad talk to him and telling him to text him when the two of them are ready to go. He gives a quick, 'yes, understood father,' and goes into the mall with Alexander.

"Did the Washingtons adopt you?" Thomas asks Alexander as they walk into Winners, the two of them starting to browse through all of the clothing. Alexander looks at the shirts, quiet for a moment.

"No, and I don't know if that is going to happen any time soon. I'm in the foster system, and they are my foster parents," Alexander says honestly.

Thomas slowly nods and smiles reassuringly. "If it makes you feel any better, they are really nice people. They adopted Lafayette as soon as they could, and I never hear anything bad about them."

The Creole boy doesn't respond, wanting to get off of the subject. It's not that he doubted Thomas' words; it's just that he's worried. None of his previous foster homes had worked out for him and he'd rather not get his hopes up.

"I know this is an odd question, but who's your first friend?" Alex asks. It was the first question that came to mind, and he wanted to change the subject to something a bit more pleasant.

Thomas, thank God, seemed to accept the change in subject. He pulls a shirt out and passes it to Alex. "James Madison, the boy I was walking with when I met you. Our parents lived next to each other, and we lived across from a playground, so we often saw each other and played on the playground. What about you?"

"The first friend that I remember having is a guy our age named Aaron. I was in a really good foster home at the time. I lived with them for years. Aaron was also in the foster system, and we went to the same school. We met and, despite our differences, we very quickly became friends. We were friends for two years. At some point my foster mother died, and my foster father had been unable to buy things for the two of us. Before I had to leave, Aaron and I made emails and exchanged them. When I can, I'll email him." Alexander explains with a smile.

The two continue to explore the mall, rather happily walking around and talking to each other. They rather happily ordered food, with Alexander getting something from McDonalds and Thomas grabbing food from A&W.

Alexander is happy, he realizes halfway through the shitty meal. He has foster parents who haven't hit or hurt him yet, he has some friends, and he has his soulmate. He can't be happier.

A thought lingers in the back of his mind, however. _He's still your enemy, _the malicious voice practically purrs out.


	7. Sharing Our Marks

Alexander takes a deep breath as he sits on the bed, a nervous expression on his face. Three days into his relationship with Thomas, and they finally decided to show off the rest of their marks. Normally, soulmates aren't very hesitant when it comes to this. Enemies can be hesitant, unless you're Lafayette, but they usually figure it out regardless of whether they show the mark or not. However, Thomas and Alexander are a special case. They didn't just have the name of their soulmate and enemy, they had large marks and images, words and pictures. Their marks are special, hence why they were hesitant.

When they had decided to share them, they said that they would do it in private, so only they know and a bunch of strangers don't see. Alexander told Thomas that Lafayette, Hercules and John knows, but he wasn't actually too bothered.

He finds himself fiddling with his sleeve as Thomas takes a seat next to him. Both of them are wearing sweaters, something that they could easily take off and use to conceal the marks on their arms. Alexander is wearing his favourite green one, a colour that Thomas began to associate with Alexander rather quickly. And Thomas is wearing the brightest pink sweater he could have found. The neon pink burns Alexander's eyes, but he decides not to comment on it just yet.

"How do you want to do this? Take them off at the same time, one at a time?" Thomas asks awkwardly, Alexander shrugs a bit.

"Let's just take them off at the same time. Not like it'll make that much of a difference." He answers after a moment, unzipping his green sweater. Thomas nods and does the same, taking off the piece of clothing and allowing it to drop next to him. Alexander lets his fall behind him and focuses his attention on Thomas.

Alexander's eyes widen slightly, a curious look on his face as he stares at the marks on Thomas' arms. His attention is first on his right arm. The closed book with the elegant writing on the back amazes him by how neat it looked. An elegant pattern decorates the back of the book, and Alexander can't help but be amazed by the patterns done in black and white. The bookmark that was partially sticking out caught his attention next, and he recognizes a part of the pattern displayed. Attached to the familiar bookmark is a piece of braided piece of string. Everything was shaded in rather amazing detail. The thing that worried him was the words on the back of the book, displaying a potentially bad ending to their relationship.

His eyes drift towards the mark on the other's left arm, and he smiles softly seeing his name, Alexander Hamilton. He would recognize his handwriting from anywhere. He can't help but smile as he looks at his name on his soulmates wrist. The bookmark is in clear view now, and the picture on it depicts the familiar scene of trees and waves that sits on both of his own wrists.

He allows his eyes to wander to the other's upper arm, and he finds himself amazed by the book. Without a second thought he begins to read the words written. His interaction with Lafayette is displayed on the other's arm, in full view for Alexander to read.

Thomas, on the other hand, is staring at the bottle of ink on Alexander's right arm, the spill and those haunting words, 'I hope I never see you again.' He stares blankly at them, frowning at the reminder and the idea that may be his last interaction with Alexander. He looks at the other's left arm, unable to help but stare at the quill and the handle that sits towards the base of it. The trees, the waves, the scene, he knows every detail and has been studying the same scene since he first learnt what this would mean.

The three words on the other's upper arm catches his attention next; 'Who are you?' Quickly, he looks at his own mark and finds himself staring at the first words they both said to each other. Who are you? That was what they had said. He frowns softly but doesn't say anything just yet.

"We won't have a good end, will we?" Alexander suddenly asks, breaking the silence that they allowed to fill the bedroom. Thomas is quiet for a moment, taking a deep breath and trying to think.

"I don't know." He admits, staring at his hands now. "I don't know if we're going to have a good, happy relationship or if it's going to crash and burn like your fashion sense."

"Hey, you should want our relationship to be like my fashion sense, cause my fashion sense is fucking amazing." Alexander challenges, huffing softly.

"Keep telling yourself that sweetheart," Thomas hums out, a small smile on his face as he looks at Alexander, a small smile on his face. "It could just be a major event that we have to overcome," he says after a moment, trying to reassure his soulmate.

"And what if it isn't?" He asks. "What if this," he says, gesturing to the mark on his right arm, "is last thing I say to you? Or the last thing you say to me?" He asks, concern clear in his voice. "I'm sorry if I sound pessimistic, but you're my enemy, Thomas." He says softly, sadness in his voice.

"It won't be, we'll make sure of it. Even if I have to call you and say something else, those won't be my last words to you." Thomas promises, looking at Alexander. "Although, it's probably going to be about that horrible looking sweater you wear all the time."

Alexander smiles softly. "Even if it's about your terrible obsession with that awful colour you always wear, I promise my last words to you will not be what is written there." He chuckles softly. "Although I may just call and scream a random word at you before hanging up."

They laugh softly, and Alexander kisses his cheek. "Let's go to the living room, put on a movie, and eat some of those cookies Laf thinks he can hide well." He says getting up with a joyful grin on his face.

_**(A/N): **__So funny story. I thought that I would finish a new chapter yesterday. Then in the course of five minutes I added three chapters that would come before that one. To give you an idea of what's coming up, I'll give you the titles. Thank you for waiting._

_Take Care of Yourself_

_Our Arguments_

_Our Decision_


	8. Take Care of Yourself

One week later, and Alexander finds himself writing a letter nightly. He would type away, only stopping when he went to fix the few spelling and grammar mistakes. Each time he finished, his eyes would hold a look of satisfaction as he read the final result. After quietly reading it to himself, he ensures it saved before putting his computer away, yawning as he checks the time. The digital lock reads twelve thirty-six, and Alexander frowns softly as he goes over to the bed. He gets comfy and allows his eyes to shut, and he slowly begins to fall asleep.

When he wakes up, he finds his eyes quickly shutting and he lay under the blanket, trying to ignore the light that Lafayette decided to turn in. The blankets were warm and cozy, and he didn't want to move. It couldn't have been ten minutes before Mrs. Washington was at the door, gently knocking. He just groans.

She comes in hearing it and goes over to him, sitting on the bed next to him. Her warm eyes hold a worried. "Are you sick Alexander?" She asks, resting a hand on his forehead gently. Alex nearly finches seeing the raised hand. Quickly, he swats it off of his forehead, wanting the cold to go away

"You don't feel warm," she mutters softly, looking at him with a frown. "Have you been sleeping?" She asks.

"Yes," Alexander replies, starting to get up. He yawns and rubs at his eyes slightly. His head feels heavy, and part of him wishes that he could just go to bed again. The other half was screaming at him, telling him to get up and go to school or he would miss classes and fall behind.

"How many hours have you been sleeping a night, on average?" She asks next, frowning softly when he just stares at her in confusion for a moment, trying to think of a reply.

"Uhm, on average?" He asks, watching as she nods. "Maybe about, I don't know, four?" He says slowly before nodding. "Yeah, about four." Martha was frowning, and Alexander begins to panic slightly. "If you want me to sleep more or less I can do that," he says quickly. She quickly shakes her head.

"We'll talk about it later, alright?" She says softly, "go back to bed, okay? I'll have Gilbert grab your school work for you."

"I can't miss school, I'll fall behind," he says, panicking.

"Today is Friday, you have a shorter day. You can catch up tomorrow."

"But I have schoolwork to hand in," he adds quickly.

"Gilbert can do it for you, where is it?" Martha asks softly. Hesitantly, he goes over to his bag and pulls out a red folder. Martha smiles and takes it from him. "Go back to bed, okay? George is working here today, he'll be home with you." She says gently, going to the door and shutting the light off.

Alexander is quiet for a moment. "Okay..." He mutters, going to the bed and getting comfortable again. Almost as soon as his eyes are shut, he begins to drift into sleep.

When he wakes up, he notices the light shining through his window. He stares blankly before looking at the clock that has been taunting him for the past few nights. It laughs at him, telling him that it's ten o'clock. He gets up and grabs clothing from his closet, quickly pulling a t-shirt on and going to the door, rushing downstairs. He looks around, not seeing George. Maybe something came up and he had to go to work?

He feels his stomach start to growl, screaming at him and reminding him that he hasn't eaten yet. He stares blankly at the kitchen and hesitantly goes in, walking to the pantry. He hasn't been eating much, and he knows how unhealthy it is but he feels as though he didn't deserve it, like he didn't do much to earn the food that the Washingtons are so generously giving him. Alexander's stomach growls as he opens the cupboard, reminding him that he barely had dinner yesterday and that he hasn't eaten today. Without thinking, he grabs a granola bar and quickly opens the packaging, scarfing it down quickly.

"Good morning son," Washington says, taking a seat at the table with his laptop. Alexander freezes up, his eyes wide and mouth full. He tightens his grip on the granola bar and begins to panic. He took food without permission. _They are giving you food, you couldn't wait till lunch? Pathetic. You're stealing from such an amazing family. _That voice snaps. He couldn't even hide what he had done, as the granola bar wrapper is tightly clutched in his hand. "How did you sleep?"

Alexander forces himself to swallow, but his mouth feels dry and he may have done that out of fear. "I, uhm, I slept well." He says hesitantly, watching his foster father as he checks the time. Lafayette wouldn't be here till about twelve thirty, and Martha wouldn't be here till maybe five thirty. He is stuck in a house with a man who could really hurt him if he wanted to with no one there to help him.

"Come here, son, sit with me." The man says, not turning on his laptop and deciding to move it away instead so it wouldn't be nearby.

Alexander hesitantly walks over, fear coursing through him as he pulls a chair out, sitting down. He watches him, trying to read his body language and trying to get an idea of when the first strike will come. Alexander is tense, and his eyes are darting around. The exits are the backdoor, front door and garage.

"You can finish the granola bar," he says with a small smile. "I just wanted to know why you haven't been sleeping. Martha went to grab you and said that you haven't been sleeping lately. Is something happening at school? Is something stressing you out?" He asks, a concerned look in his eyes.

The concern takes Alexander by surprise, and he stares at the other for a moment. Just a few seconds ago, he had been ready to jump out of the chair to run to a window, worst case scenario, and the thoughts swirled in his mind, the ones that fed his paranoia. The look of concern threw him off, and he is sure that he looks genuinely confused.

"You're not mad?" He asks after a moment, watching him with a small frown on his face as he does so.

"Of course not, Alexander. I'm worried for you. You're in an entirely new environment, in a school you haven't been to; surrounded by total strangers and you have to deal with the stress and drama of having a soulmate and an enemy who you are extremely close to. You were in foster homes where things didn't work out and even ones were you were abused. I'm worried that something is wrong, and I know you likely wouldn't tell me if there really was something wrong. After all, you're scared of me and I understand that you may not trust me. However, I want to help, and I'm willing to take the first step in building a bond between us." He says gently, not seeming too upset that Alexander assumed the worst.

Alexander's eyes are wide as he looks at the other, the confused look not yet going away. He looks at the food he had forgotten about before looking at Mr. Washington. "You aren't mad that I took food without permission?" He asks after a moment. He understands how hesitant he sounds, how he sounds as though he's trying to navigate a field with landmines buried underground, with no map or idea of how this conversation will go.

"I will never be mad about that. Alexander, you are underfed, I can tell. Some of your teachers have sent emails expressing their concern. It doesn't help that you barely touch your food when we're having a meal as a family. If you are hungry, I want you to eat. No one in the house will reprimand you for doing so. If you are hungry and just snack throughout the day, then I want you to do that." He says, looking at him with a bit of a sad look.

Alexander is quiet for a moment before he nods quietly. "Okay." He says hesitantly, allowing his grip to relax on the beyond crushed snack bar. He takes a bit of it, quiet for a moment as he looks at the other. Mr. Washington just smiles gently.

They sit in silence for a moment, although it isn't an awkward silence. It's comforting to Alexander. The other is allowing him to eat whenever he is hungry and isn't reprimanding Alexander for taking food. There's silence. Not a single shout or yell. The air is empty, and Alexander finds that he doesn't miss the sound or the sting of pain that came with getting slapped. There was no sound of his feet slamming down on the ground as he attempts to get away from someone wishing trying to harm him.

It isn't the silence that terrified him either, he finds. He isn't hiding in some sort of small space that he's grown to hate, nor is he holding his breath to try and silence himself as tears begin to prick his eyes and his mouth threatens to open to let out a sob. His hand isn't covering his mouth, and he isn't listening in the silence for footsteps or any hint that someone may find him soon.

It's comfortable. He's eating his granola bar and finds himself relaxing when he reads the other's body language. He's relaxed, his hands resting on the table. And he's smiling. It isn't a sinister smile like what he's seen in the past. It's a genuine smile, one that the other is giving him to comfort him. Alexander begins to relax as he finishes eating the first thing he's eaten that day.

While he likes the silence, he doesn't mind too terribly when the other breaks it. "Son, can you tell me why you haven't been sleeping well?"

Alexander is quiet for a moment. He takes a deep breath. "I am stressed, and I sort of work really late at night on my laptop to try and finish my work ahead of time so I have the time to go over it and actually make it look nice." He admits, leaving out how he has been writing letters that only Thomas and he will see.

"You work all day after school though, Alexander, and Lafayette has said you work during your lunch period." He says with a small frown on his face as he does so. "You're overworking yourself." Alexander shrinks back a bit when he realizes the other is disappointed in him. "You could be doing something worse, I suppose, but you need to sleep Alexander. If you are worried you won't finish something, and then talk to your teacher, alright?" He says softly. "If it helps, I'll get you an agenda so that you can write down a plan so you don't overwork yourself," Mr. Washington suggest as he looks at the younger male.

"I think that would help, actually." He says after a moment.

"I'll have Martha buy one for you." Alexander nods. There's a bit more silence before Mr. Washington speaks up again. "Alexander, I know you don't trust us just yet, and I hope that it will get to the point where you do, but Martha and I will worry for you, and we are never going to be mad if you need help with something, or if you need to talk. If you are struggling with something, I want you to talk to one of us, or the school counsellor. We want to help you, alright?"

Alexander nods after a moment. "Okay. I will." He says, hesitantly getting up and throwing the wrapper out before going to the stairs.

"Alexander, please take care of yourself. Self-care is important." Mr. Washington says, watching Alexander.

"I will." He says as he goes upstairs to his laptop, planning on being productive so he will sleep tonight without worrying about whether or not he has done enough work.


	9. Our Arguments

**_(A/N): _**_While brief, I touch on sexual assault at the beginning of this chapter. It's mentioned in paragraph eight and I stop at paragraph ten._

* * *

They've been dating for few weeks now and saying that Alexander couldn't be happier was a bit of a lie, a twist of the truth, a lie of omission. He didn't tell Thomas, as he seems happy with their relationship. He is unable to see how though. They disagreed quite a bit, and while he knows that disagreements are apart of a relationship, he can't ignore how their arguments are never resolved. They just stop talking about it for a little bit, sometimes ten minutes sometimes an hour, before they start talking again.

And Alexander can't ignore the fear that courses through him when their arguments hit their peak. The name on his right wrist screams at him, begging him to look, and when he does, he regrets staring at the mark. The mark that smirks so cruelly at him, taunting him and showing him a future where he would hate Thomas. _Look at this,_ it sneers, _he'll leave you if you continue to fight._ Out of fear, he ignores how much he wants to win the argument, and they just stop without resolving the conflict.

"How could you be pro-choice? Abortion kills something that is living, that should have a chance to experience life! You are ripping away someone's soulmate, and there are other options like putting the kid up for abortion if they can't keep the child," Thomas says, his container full of mac and cheese being totally ignored.

"How could you call yourself pro-life while ignoring the women who end up dying due to trying to force themselves to have a miscarriage, or trying to have a back-alley illegal abortion? You are trying to force a pregnant woman to potentially kill herself trying to get rid of something that can't think or feel!" Alexander snaps back. "And I don't know what planet you live on, but soulmarks appear _after_ a child is born. You are not ripping away someone's soulmate."

Lafayette sighs softly in frustration and hides his face in his hands, allowing Hercules to begin to rub his back. "Mon dieu we were talking about buying houses and dream homes, how did we start arguing about abortion?" He mutters.

"Alexander, I respect your opinion, but I disagree as well," James pipes up. "Abortion should be frowned upon, and there are other ways to prevent yourself from having a child, like using birth control such as condoms or pills."

"What about victims of rape? Do you expect women who are not prepared to have sex to be on birth control twenty-four seven in case some asshole decides to rape her? What if she gets pregnant and decides not to keep the child?" Alexander challenges.

"Then she should first get help. Then, she should have the child and give them up for adoption," Thomas responds, his eyes narrowing.

Alexander scoffs. "What about her family? What if they believe in no sex before marriage and shame her, saying that she shouldn't have been wearing what she had on during the assault?" He says swiftly, glaring at him. "What if her soulmate finds out and is an asshole like you and is disgusted with her because she had an abortion?" He challenges, freezing up when he realizes what he said.

"I'm an asshole because I want everyone to have a chance at living? Then what does that make you? After all, you support the idea of killing something that has done nothing to their mother." Thomas snaps, his eyes dark, hiding the pain that Alexander must have caused him.

"A decent human being," he says, not even thinking about what he's saying anymore.

"Bullshit! You support the murder of babies! Fucking babies!" Thomas snaps.

"It isn't a baby it's a goddamn fetus that can't fucking think."

"Can't think? Oh, that reminds me of you, saying shit without thinking and then expecting people to just forgive you for being a bad person," Thomas snaps.

"And you're much better? You, a pompous ass who pretends he knows everything when most of his damn opinions are fucking wrong?"

"Says the one who thinks that prisoners should have the right to vote. They are convicted criminals! They could skew the vote and vote for someone who could help them get out of prison." He snaps.

"They are human beings and should have the right to vote like us you dick!" Alexander yells, glaring at him.

Thomas glares darkly, his eyes dark. Without another word, he puts his food away and grabs his bag, standing up and walking away from the table. James, not really friends with any of the people at the table and worried for Thomas, stands up and follows him out of the cafeteria.

"You should go apologize," Hercules says softly, Lafayette nodding a bit. Alexander takes a deep breath.

"If I do, we're going to argue again. Besides, we'll talk in about an hour, maybe more." He says, hiding his concern. He just insulted his soulmate and called the boy a bad person.

Fifty minutes passed, and Alexander looks at the door, waiting for Thomas to walk into the classroom. He never did. James Madison came in halfway through class, and he purposefully ignored the empty desk next to Alexander, walking instead to the standing desks that the other professed to absolutely hating. For the rest of the class, he stood there. When they left the class, James purposefully ignored Alexander asking about where and how Thomas is.

That was the hour and twenty minutes mark. Fear begins to go through Alexander, worried that his soulmate hates him. He spends the rest of the school day distressed and scared that he wouldn't be able to make it up to Thomas. His heart beats hard against his chest, thousands of worries swirling through his head as he walks home.

He doesn't even hear Lafayette's happy chattering. His eyes are focused on the pavement in front of him as he tries to think of a way that he could make it up to Thomas. "Gil?" Alexander asks, not one hundred percent focused on the other.

Lafayette stops talking, a surprised look on his face as he looks over at Alexander. "Oui?"

"Did Thomas text you at all?" He asks hesitantly, looking at Lafayette with a worried look on his face. Lafayette is silent for a moment, shaking his head no. "I didn't think so," he says sadly.

They walk in silence, eventually getting to the house that Alexander has slowly learned to call home. Lafayette unlocks it and goes in, taking his shoes off as soon as he steps in. Alexander does the same before running up to his room, shutting the door and allowing his bag to hit the ground.

He goes over to the window seat and picks up his laptop. He gets comfortable and turns the device on, staring at the screen and watching as the device turns on. As soon as he opens Word, he begins to type furiously. His attention isn't on the words he writes, his mind wandering to exchange of harsh words. The document is soon filled with hundreds of spelling and grammar mistakes, but Alex can't bring himself to care.

An hour passes, and he frowns softly when the door opens. He looks over at it and watches as Mr. Washington steps in, a rather worried look on his face. "Hello Alexander." He says softly. "We called you down for dinner and you didn't respond," he explains as he walks over to the other. "May I sit with you?"

The boy is quiet for a moment before nodding, moving over to make room for the other. He saves the document and turns his laptop off quietly before setting it down. His attention turns to his foster dad, and he finds himself almost involuntarily trying to read his body language in an attempt to find out if something was about to happen. _The door is open, _he thinks, making a quick mental note of it. Alexander finds himself relax when he realizes he has an escape.

"What happened at school?" Mr. Washington asks, and Alexander is silent for a moment before sighing. He can trust the other. He did offer to help him with this situation his first night here, and just a few weeks ago they spoke about how he wouldn't hurt him.

"I had another argument with Thomas. We started arguing more recently, and this one ended with us insulting each other. Normally we leave each other alone for maybe ten minutes to an hour before talking again. He hasn't spoken to me since lunch though and he didn't say anything to Lafayette, plus he skipped most of class and I'm really worried that he did it to avoid me." Alexander says honestly, looking down at the floor.

"Did you two ever talk about the argument afterwards?" He asks. Alexander shakes his head. "Use the landline, Lafayette can give you Thomas' phone number. Talk to each other, alright? Tomorrow is Friday, if you want to meet up after school to talk." He offers.

"Okay." Alexander says after a moment. "I will." Washington smiles gently and gets up, going to the door.

"I'll put some food away for you, alright?" Alexander nods.

"Thank you."

* * *

**_(A/N): _**_I promise I'm actually going to do something. Some drama is going to come up. I can make that promise. Also, how do ya'll feel about major character death? Cause, ya know, I actually have something planned for a future chapter. Also this is your warning. If you do not like major character death, it isn't too late to back out._

_Also, would it surprise anyone if I told you all that I have 28 chapters planned? I will probably change things and I know I'll add more, but I have a rough out line and the plot._


	10. Our Decision

Alexander stands there nervously, glancing around the hallway as he holds the phone to his ear. He takes a deep breath, pausing when the ringing stops abruptly. "Hello, Thomas Jefferson speaking." The southern dialect comes through the speaker, and Alexander can't help but smile slightly hearing the voice of his soulmate. His worries melt away, even if it is just for a second. His eyes soften, and he lets go of a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Hi Thomas, this is Alexander." He says, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Alexander, I think that we need to talk." The response came through, along with all of his worries. "Are you busy right now?"

"No, I'm not. Do you want to meet up?"

"Yes please, can I come over to your house for a bit?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll see you soon?" Alexander asks nervously.

"I'll see you soon." Thomas responds before hanging up.

Alexander rushes to his bedroom and begins to clean up. More accurately, he rushes around his room and tosses sweaters and clothing and any clutter into his closet before shutting the door. He paces the floor nervously, eyes falling on the name on his left wrist. Thomas Jefferson. He can't help the faint yet bitter smile on his face when he sees the name. Their first date, wandering around the mall, came to mind when he reads the name. And oh, the smile the other had on they day that they met. He smiles faintly.

And their arguments, their squabbles came to mind soon after. Arguments they should have resolved sooner so they wouldn't fuck their relationship up too much. He sighs quietly and pauses when he hears the knock on the door. Slightly nervously, he walks down to the door and opens it for the taller boy. Thomas gives a bitter smile as Alexander steps aside, allowing the other to come inside. Thomas removes his shoes and sets them aside before walking up the stairs in silence.

Each step Alexander takes fills him with dread, and he finds his nails digging into the palm of his hand. A hand rests on his shoulder, and Alexander looks up at Thomas now. His eyes display how anxious he truly is, and he can tell that the other is nervous as well. Those dark eyes, the ones that hid Thomas' fears and secrets, did nothing to hid his worries today. They stood at the top of the stairs, in silence, taking in the other's worries and concerns by simply looking in their other half's eyes.

Thomas gently takes his hand and squeezes it reassuringly, walking with the other to his room. They go in and sit on the bed, allowing for the silence to fill the room for a moment longer. "We need to talk about our relationship," Thomas says after a moment, looking down at Alexander. He nods firmly, yet nervously.

"Where do you see us going if we continue arguing like this?" Alexander asks for a moment, and Thomas is silent.

"If I'm honest? I see one of us saying what's on my arm if we continue arguing, and I see us breaking up and never getting together again," he responds, looking down at the other's hand. "I'm sorry if that isn't what you want to hear."

Alexander shakes his head no. "I asked the question, Thomas. I wanted to hear what you really think about this relationship. If I am honest, I agree with you. If we continue like this, we aren't going to last. We're going to break up and leave each other on a bad note. On a really bad note." He says after a moment, taking a deep breath afterwards.

Silence washes over them for a moment. "Alexander, do you love me?" Thomas asks.

"Of course."

"Do you hate me?"

He forces himself to think about the question instead of answering 'no' right away. He loves Thomas. He loves the way he smiles, and how he calls Alexander darlin' in that thick as all hell dialect that Alexander loves. He loves how Thomas will fight tooth and nail to defend his love for macaroni and cheese. However, the other is defensive, and he can't help but hate some of his opinions and how he won't take Alexander's opinions seriously. He is guilty of doing the same thing. He takes a deep breath.

"Not hate, maybe dislike, definitely annoyed."

The silence is no longer comforting. Thomas looks down at the ground, letting go of Alexander's hands. "I love you, Alexander, I don't think that will change, but I get irritated when we argue, and we argue a lot. It borders on unhealthy."

"We need to break up."

"I know."

Silence is the loudest thing in the room, and Alexander finds himself paying attention to the sound of Thomas' breathing. He listens to it, and waits for the other to break the silence.

"Alexander, I want to be with you, but right now is not the time. Setting aside the fact that we are soulmates, I love you, and I want to be with you. We need a break right now."

"We'll try again, right?" Alexander asks rather hesitantly.

"Of course, but we can't right now." He says, gently pulling Alexander close to hug him. Alexander hugs back tightly, forcing the tears back. The two sat there, atop the green bed sheets, embracing each other as well as the silence.

Alexander lost track of time, and he allows his eyes to shut for a moment. He opens them a second later and gently, yet hesitantly, kisses his cheek. Thomas gives Alexander a tight lipped smile and gently kisses his head.

Thomas and Alexander let go after a few minutes, and the taller of the two goes to the door. "I'll see you at school, right?" Thomas asks. Alexander nods silently, waiting for the other to leave and for the door to shut behind him.

Tears begin to fall as soon as the door shuts, and Alexander lets out a sob as he begins to cry.


	11. He Cannot Comprehend

"Gilbert, can you get Alexander for dinner please?" Martha asks as she sets a plate on the table, a small smile on her face. Lafayette nods and rises, maneuvering his way to the stairs and walking up them with a sly grin on his face as he approaches the door. He grabs the handle and swings it open rather forcefully.

"Time to eat petit lion!" He yells, watching with a smirk when he sees Alexander jump, his puffy and red eyes wide. He's shaking, and his knees are pulled close to his chest. He's shaking and sobbing softly, tears in his dark eyes. He's breathing shallowly and rapidly, and Lafayette feels his heart break seeing his foster brother crying like that.

Alexander openly sobs, and Lafayette realizes that the other is trying to calm himself down. He rushes over to him and sits next to him, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close to himself. The immigrant wraps his arms around Lafayette and buries his face in his shoulder. He allows himself to sob, barely registering the hand rubbing his back.

"It will be okay, Alexander." Lafayette says softly using a gentle tone when speaking to the three. He just sobs and responds. Lafayette is unable to make it out, but he's fairly sure that the other said something along the lines of 'no it won't.' "Of course it will, petit lion. I know you're upset now, but I promise that things will get better. You have me, Martha and George to help you." He says gently.

Alexander sniffles and nods silently, holding onto the Frenchman as if his life depended on it. Lafayette smiles gently and holds onto him, his hand rubbing his back gently and comfortingly. The smaller of the two slowly begins to calm down, his tears and sobs lessening over time. His grip loosens, and he slowly lets go if Lafayette.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" He asks after a moment.

Alexander is silent for a moment, staring down at his hands. He takes a deep breath before meeting Lafayette's eyes again. "Thomas and I broke up." He said, his voice broken.

Lafayette is silent for a moment, staring at the other with a surprised look. He thinks of his own soulmate, Hercules. They've never even spoken about potentially leaving each other, they haven't argued much either. He couldn't imagine the pain that Alexander is going through right now after breaking up with his soulmate.

"I'm sorry," was all Lafayette could manage. Alexander just shakes his head and stands up, stretching a bit.

"Don't be, it isn't your fault. Besides, it was mutual, it just hurts," he manages to say. He rubs his eyes with the back of his hand to stop the tears before slowly making his way to the door. "Come on. Martha is probably wondering if we are still alive."

Lafayette is silent for a moment but he nods and follows the other down the stairs, allowing himself to sit. He takes some food and starts to eat, partially ignoring the conversation in favour of focusing on his own relationship with Hercules. They argued and they have their issues, but they have never spoken about breaking up. It never crossed their minds. They are soulmates. They are meant to be. And now, he sits here, his foster brother and his friend Alexander sitting next to him. His friend that just went through a break up with his soulmate. It's something that Lafayette is unable to comprehend.

Alexander's eyes are red, along with his nose. He's staring at his plate as he tells Martha and George about what happened. Martha immediately expresses concern and tells him he can talk to her if he feels the need to, and offers to take him shopping to distract him. As expected, the other politely refuses and starts to eat the little food on his plate.

Lafayette finds himself wishing that he could help the other, and he wishes he could relate to Alexander and help him through the massive amount of pain he's undoubtedly dealing with right now. He can only name one other person that could even comprehend what Alexander is dealing with, and it's best if that John doesn't get involved with this, at least not now.

His second thought is to call Hercules, his own soulmate, who may have some advice and could possibly help. Then he immediately scrapped the idea when he realized that would result in Hercules becoming the mother and insisting on staying a few nights to make sure that Alexander is okay while simultaneously doing nothing to make the situation better.

And his third is to do research and try to help Alexander himself. Deciding that this is the lesser of three evils, he quickly eats dinner and runs upstairs, doing research on how to help someone through a break up. Many of the advice had him cringing and he forces himself to ignore a lot of it. Most of it suggested telling the person that they still have their soulmate, and maybe they should stop dating until they found their soulmate. For very obvious reasons, this wouldn't work for Alexander.

Some of it was reasonable, like being there for the person and trying to distract them, maybe finding out what they need or want and getting it for them. It was a reasonable piece of advice, one that he decides to run with. He has a determined look as he grabs his wallet. He runs downstairs and quickly tells Martha that he's going out before leaving the house.

Once he gets to the grocery store, he starts to grab whatever junk food he knows that Alex enjoys along with one of those TY stuffed animals at the store. He rushes back home and silently checks the other's room before setting the food down in an organized manner in the window seat, along with the stuffed animal. He silently leaves the room and heads to his own, determined to make the other as happy as he can in the moment.


	12. My First Friend

Since they broke up, Alexander has been struggling. Lafayette has been helping him, he must admit, but it still hurt to see the two laugh and snuggle and kiss, like a happy couple. He longed for it, and wished he could have made it work with Thomas. However, it wasn't meant to be. At least, not at the moment.

So, he threw himself into his studies in an attempt to distract himself. He passed out in class once due to lack of sleep, and it left his friends worrying and stressing over his well being. They pulled him away from his work and brought him to a library, tossing a bunch of books at him and telling him to enjoy something other than his school work for a change.

Alexander became grateful for the second distraction and found himself lost in the world of Harry Potter, enjoying the story telling and how beautifully phrased sentences were. He must have read the Philosopher's Stone ten times before he finally began to read the Chamber of Secrets. The writing is masterful, and he wonders why he hasn't read it before.

He enjoys the borrowed book, eating his sandwich without much of thought as he rereads the first chapter. Lafayette chuckles, watching him from the other side of the round table as he bites into his own food. "Enjoying the book, lion?" He asks smoothly. Alexander nods happily.

"It's written so well- I can't but get sucked into the world, you know? It's something every writer should aspire to do. Capture a reader's attention to the point where they can't put the thing down." He says, beaming as he looks at the others. John is focusing on something behind him, however. He raises an eyebrow. "Hey, John, what are you looking at?"

John smiles a bit. "Hey- I'm John. Need anything?" He asks, and Alexander sighs and turns around, blinking in surprise when he sees a rather familiar face. Dark, judgmental eyes meet his own and Alexander finds himself shooting right out of his seat, a shit eating grin on his face as he does so.

"Alexander, I thought I recognized your annoying voice," the boy says, although he has the faintest smile on his face and there is no real animosity towards the boy in front of him.

"Aaron Burr! Sir! You didn't respond to any of my emails you ass!" He yells, a grin on his face. "Sit with us, please! It's been so long," Alexander invites, watching as his friend takes a seat. Lafayette blinks in surprise and slight confusion.

"Alexander, who is this?" Hercules asks, eyes filled with curiosity.

"Oh- right. Herc, John, Laf, this is Aaron Burr! He is somehow my first friend even if he is a boring asshat with no opinions. We met years ago in a middle school." Alexander explains.

"We're both in the foster care system, so we just, had something to bond over," Aaron corrects as he pulls his lunch out. "I moved to a different home. Before I did, we got emails and exchanged them so that we could remain in contact. Even then, we couldn't talk much."

"That's the long story though," Alexander says with a fake huff.

Lafayette smiles, deciding to take the friendly approach that Alexander doesn't seem to use often. "Bonjour Aaron. I am Lafayette. It is a pleasure to meet one of Alexander's friends." He says, looking over at Aaron. The other gives a small nod.

"It's good to know that I have some friends here," he says with a smile.

Alexander smirks a bit. "You may have an enemy in the school too," he teases. Aaron rolls his eyes slightly, as though that was the most ridiculous thing he has ever heard.

"You know full well that I don't, or have you forgotten?" Aaron asks, watching the other. "Perhaps you wanted me to share my situation?" He takes not of the mischievous look in Alexander's eyes and he sighs. "Of course you do." He rolls his sleeve up slightly and holds his left wrist up for the other'as at the table to see. "I don't have an enemy," he states, revealing the blank space.

Lafayette says a loud string of French swears, perhaps insults. "You lucky bitch," John manages. Hercules just stares with a look full of disbelief.

"Unlike Alexander who likely has every name you can possibly fit on his arm, I don't go around picking fights. I may make an enemy later in life, but at this time, I don't have one." Aaron says before looking at Alexander, pausing when he notices the lack of long sleeves. Alexander follows his gaze and watches as Aaron reads the names, examines the marks and every spot of ink. "... Only you could make an enemy out of your own soulmate." Aaron says with a sigh.

Hercules' eyes narrow, watching Aaron and about to tell him off. Alexander, however, just laughs a bit with a small smile on his face. "Well, you definitely aren't wrong." He says honestly, a small smile on his face. "But I am determined to make it work between us. Even if it doesn't work out just yet."

"And you are determined, as usual." Aaron says as he eats.

"You know it. I was just as determined to make you my friend when he first met. God I freaked you out so badly. You thought I was a stalker," he says with a smile.

"Not exactly something to be smiling about. Now, what is your soulmate like?" Aaron asks.

Alexander thinks for a moment, but he smiles and begins to describe Thomas fondly. His heart wasn't aching though. He was filled with hope and happiness, knowing that he would be able to get back together with Thomas one day. Even if he isn't with him tomorrow.

Aaron listens carefully and nods after a moment. "He sounds rather nice. Keep in mind, if he does hurt you.. I will torture him." His voice is cold and lacking any emotion that should have been there.

"Hey hey hey- the shovel talk is our job!" John exclaims.

"You are the worst, Burr." Lafayette grumbles.

Hercules settles on flipping the other off. They were an odd group, but Alexander didn't mind in the least.

* * *

**_(A/N):_** I said I would continue this! I wasn't going back on my word. I'm hoping to get at least eight chapters done in order to make up for my lack of progress.


	13. Taking a Break

Alexander tenses up and quickly turns to leave the hallway as soon as he sees his soulmate. While he misses the other, he does doesn't want to see him just yet. Aaron raises an eyebrow as he looks at Alexander before looking over at the magenta mess at one of the lockers. He raises an eyebrow before looking over at Alexander. "Is that your soulmate and enemy?" He asks after a moment.

"Yes," he says. He begins to walk away, beginning to take another path to class. Aaron doesn't hesitate to follow. He walks with him to their classroom, pausing at the door.

"I thought you didn't mind seeing him?" He asks. "You told me it was mutual." Alexander is silent for a moment before he nods.

"It was but like- I think we both may need space. When we met, we kind of rushed into it and on top of rushing into it, we more or less disregarded that we are each other's enemy. I think it will happen again if we spend time together again. We need to be apart for now." Alexander says honestly. The rest of the day is spent with Aaron warning Alexander whenever he sees Thomas as well as Alexander hiding around corners to avoid his soulmate.

It stops when Alexander comes to the cafeteria to see Thomas sitting with James, Hercules and Lafayette. He frowns a bit and looks at Aaron. "I'm going to sit with someone else." He says with a small smile. "You can join me if you want, but I would't blame you if you sat with them." His friend nods hesitantly and makes his way to the table with Thomas.

Alexander looks around the cafeteria. His eyes land on a group of girls. There's about four of them at the table. They each look gorgeous and rather confident. He makes his way over to the group and gives a small smile. "May I sit with you ladies?" He asks softly, shifting from foot to foot. The girl who looks the oldest gives a smile. It's bold but kind, and he can't help but relax. She's so confident, and he can't help but wish that he has her confidence. It's something so many should aspire to have.

"Of course," she says, watching as Alexander sits with them. He smiles gently at them and starts to pull his lunch out.

"I'm Alexander," he says with a small grin, watching the four ladies.

One of them smiles gently. It's calm, nice. Something that makes him rather happy, actually. "I'm Eliza," she says. She's wearing short sleeves, like the confident girl. The name on her left wrist is Angelica Schuyler, with the name on her right being Maria Lewis.

"I'm Angelica." So that is her soulmate? He looks at her wrist curiously, not caring about being sneaky. She doesn't seem to mind. Elizabeth Schuyler is printed nicely and neatly, and he raises an eyebrow. "My sister, we are soulmates in more of a sibling sense." She says. Her right wrist has the name Maria Lewis, the same as Eliza. "And your enemy and soulmate is Thomas? I'm glad I finally get to meet you."

"How do you know Thomas?" He asks, purely curious. He hasn't seen them talk yet, and he hasn't heard Thomas mention a girl named Angelica.

"He's in a few of my classes, we've been friends for a long time," she says honestly. "We haven't spoken in a little while though, we've gotten rather busy." She says smoothly before looking at the other two girls at the table. "The youngest here is Peggy, she's our sister too. And that is Theodosia," Alexander feels as though he should remember that name, "she's my age."

"Theodosia," he says, his eyes narrowing slightly. She looks a bit nervous.

"Did I do something wrong?" The girl asks, her eyes holding a nervous look. Alexander quickly shakes his head.

"No, of course not! I just feel like I should recognize your name. I'll let you know if I remember," he promises before looking at Peggy and smiling. "It's nice to meet you all."

Thomas is still sitting at his table with Lafayette and Hercules, the smile on his face manipulating the others into believing that he is completely fine. The truth is that he isn't fine. He feels a bit guilty, as if he has done something wrong. The break up was _mutual_ though. Perhaps he feels guilty for separating the friend group that Alexander is apart of. Whatever it is, he chooses to ignore it.

Aaron sits next to them and stares at Thomas for a moment before giving a small smile. "He's doing alright, just needs distance." He blinks but nods, accepting the information given to him.

"I still don't understand why you two broke up, you're soulmates." Hercules mutters, and Thomas doesn't pay attention to the hostility that Hercules clearly feels towards him. The other is close to Alexander and is clearly biased.

"Because we were always arguing, and it made us both miserable." Thomas says politely.

"It was mutual, my treasure." Lafayette says softly, gently taking Hercules' hand in his own. "They were having issues, they broke up. It was their decision. Let them find themselves and take time, I'm sure they'll begin dating again eventually."

Thomas nods and begins to eat, smiling when James sits with them as well. "We will, but right now this is perfectly fine." He says smoothly. James raises an eyebrow and gives him a look he chooses to ignore.

He continues to eat his lunch, glancing at Alexander every once in while as he listens to the conversation. He can't help but smile when he sees him laughing. Yes, this is perfectly fine, he'll be back together with Alexander soon, he's positive he will be.


End file.
